Foreword
Silo Agency
World War II
The Start of Murphy Bros.
Early General Stores
A Walk Down the Main Street of Marrar

This is an exert from a letter by Noel Murphy, Marrar NSW Australia to his son Gregory.  Noel details his earliest recollections of the township of Marrar.  Noel was born 27 July 1917 so his "earliest recollections" would have been the late 1920's.  The purpose of the letter, dated 30 Sept 1974, was to help Gregory write A History of Marrar.  Noel and his wife were killed in a car accident less two months later. Some explanatory comments have been added in italics.

Silo Agency

My early recollections are of taking lunch down to my father at the weighbridge where the horse teams brought the wheat into the silos and the bagged wheat stacks.  Taking the lunch down was a very important job and gave a most rewarding meeting with the various teamsters on the job as well as the daily meetings of the normal staff of the weighbridge clerk and sundry wheat agents who operated at the time.

Dad was agent for the silos and we had George Vincent as agent for the wheat coming from the Scottish Australia Co. farmers of Murrulbale and Rockview, Jim Curtis as agent for Farmers and Graziers, Bill Dunn as agent for Wagga Mill and various others at various times.  This continued through my school times and after leaving school I took on the silo books and had this job for several years.  When Dad's life ended in 1935 I was given the job at the ripe old age of 18 years of agent in charge - Marrar silos.  This annual seasonal job continued for fifteen happy years but eventually, conflict of interest between the silo job and local business obliged me to reluctantly retire from the silos.

World War II

In 1942 the World War was well in swing and Kevin Murphy, who had been with me in the business, had gone - Bryan, Bede, Cyril and Terry (Murphy) followed into the Armed Forces and many of the local chaps from business and labour market followed also.  The local barber, storekeepers, blacksmith etc. were swallowed up in this and never returned to their former jobs.  The end of World War II saw a change in the local attitude and where we had a surplus of young chaps seeking farm jobs, there suddenly appeared a nil response.

From 1935 my activities were as general agent with various other things.  I looked after Prescott’s chaff and grain interests, did a bit of insurance and in harvest time handled silo receivals.  My brother Bryan was employed at Redgrave’s General Store until going into the Army in about 1940 or 1941.

The Start of Murphy Bros.

In February 1942 Mr. Regrave told me that he was interested in a drapery business in Epping and asked if I would manage the store for him while he had a good look at it.  I was most hesitant to take on such a seemingly major job but his confident assurance that I could handle the job and his offer of a pricely six pound per week and retain silo and chaff interests swung the pendulum.  He went to Wheeler’s Drapery and a in few months advised that he had bought it and, as country stores were unsaleable, would close Marrar unless I felt like taking it on with a restricted stock.

Again I was bluffed by the seeming magnitude of the undertaking and again Mr. Redgrave spent hours and days showing me how it could be done and assuring me that I could do it.  I still would have knocked it back but for the thoughts of jobs for the lads when the war finished - particularly Bryan who had spent his working years in the store - and the necessity of staying in Marrar where our blind mother knew her way around the home and had many good friends.

Anyhow I discussed it with Bryan when he got home on leave and as he was keen for an anchor for post-war we decided to be in it.  I dug up the princely sum of 260 odd pounds and Bryan about about 160 and with this we bought the essential plant and the stock to kick off.  I was to run it until Bryan returned but this nearly floundered in 1944 when I got a severe eye infection and had three months under treatment in Melbourne.  However the Army came good with compassionate leave and Bryan was able to hold the fort.

After Army discharge Bryan took over many of the routine tasks and so I was free to scout around for business.  In 1949 I was married and with Bryan having similar ideas we were looking for something additional.  The opposition store came on the market and we bought it and ran the two until we organised the grocery, agency and machinery into one shop where Bryan and I operated, and the hardware in the other where our younger brother Terry handled it.  This continued until Terry moved out of Marrar after Mum died in 1968.

We had been renting both buildings and eventually bought one from the Robert’s estate and adapted it to contain our full service operation.  We moved the lot into it a couple of years ago and kept the others for storage..

Early General Stores

In the general store field my first real recollections are L M Redgrave in one store and A M Kelly in the other.  Have heard that Herrick and Kelly were together and separated into one each.  Redgrave succeeded Herrick where my Aunt Kathleen worked and went with them to Ariah Park into a store since closed.  Earlier still Ashwood Bros. had a store on corner of Wise and Don Street alongside Ludwig's house.  Mrs Crane had told me she worked there as a girl.  The stores were busy and prosperous in the 1920's when horse and sulky days maintained a captive customer population and the lack of labour savings devices meant the need of workers on every farm and business and chaff cutting teams, wagon carters, tank sinkers, fencing teams etc. added to the general population.  Depression of the early 1930's restricted business and started people wandering away until the general exodus in wartime left a skeleton town population.  The farms were were still there and it was in catering for farm needs that allowed us to carry on when we took on the store.  Later years saw better cars and roads entirely remove the captive customer situation but by this time our range of stocks and service enabled us to give, in some cases, better service than big stores in bigger towns.

This situation has reversed somewhat with bulk buying discounts and chain store and group operation.  Unfortunately the necessary volume is not available in a small population centre to compete and we have to look at the position pretty closely on whether the job is now worth while in a general store sense.  Our extension into the seed game seems to have carried the service side of the business in quite a few years.  Volumes wise this has for many years been the major operation.

A Walk Down the Main Street of Marrar

Going down the street from  old Post Office (from the west heading east) - which was first one I recall with Ned Harvey in charge - cafe had Archie Chakalos when I was a lad, he went to Richmond during war and a succession of new blokes had mixed results - John Knol closed it and opened in old bakery where current people, the Wal Raltons, are the most promising for many years.

Archie, by the way, was popular and efficient and many years later Patricia and I called at the Richmond Cafe and just asked for an ice cream without any preamble.  Archie handed over the ice cream and said "Ah the Murphy girl" and proceeded to call in Mrs Chakalos and they insisted on feeding us like Kings and looked for all the information on the Marrar locals.  Had a marvellous few hours with them and really made their day too.

Next to cafe was Arthur Herman, the bootmaker who was battling to raise a family - an excellent tradesman but times were tough and many times he either was not paid at all or waited too long for it.  After he died no more bootmaker.  Incidentally the Hermans lived beside us where Kevin Hodge is now and we naturally played together plenty times.  I still have two scares on leg caused by a broken bottle when we were diving into patches of marshmallows.  Eric Herman and Bede Murphy live a few blocks from each other in Kirrawee now.

The bakery was in hands of Harry Gillard who had quite a few blue ribbons for his product.  This went through quite a few hands until not enough mouths in town caused it to close.  One customer told Mrs Rech "Tell you husband to stop eating the currants".  her reply that he didn't eat them bought the curt response "Well he doesn't put them in the buns".

The hairdresser and billiard saloon next.  Jim Langtry was there and then Jim Lyneham until he went to war and settled in Blacktown after.  Doug Young was getting a shave there one night and swung his head around to answer somebody just when when Jim had the razor there ready.  You can guess the result.  We had plenty of good clean fun in the billiard saloon where snooker was the popular game.  Anthony winter owned the building (as well as the Store and Post Office and Hall) and his son, Nock, (the Olympic Hop Step and Jump champion) was the recognised Australian master at trick shots in billiards and snooker.  He gave many exhibitions on his trips home and on occasion brought Horace Lindrum - Snooker Champ - with him.  Of course we became fairly proficient at the game and proved Clem or Tom or Cryril or one of your conferees' comment of a misspent youth.

The store has been dealt with and next comes the old office or mixing shed.  This was built as a butchers shop on one side and next door was apparently a skin dealers set up from the old painted sign showing under the other coats.  Arthur Rae was the butcher and Dad bought the building (and incidentally our home) from him for agent use.  Prior to that Dad was in what is now garage.  I used as office from 1935-1942.

Next is Butchers Shop built at that time by Webb Bros. I understand.  Wally Jones, Jim Quinn, Al Hielan, Sep Stewart, Lou Fury main ones in it.  Now closed.

The CWA rooms should have come first.  Think you have score on this.

Current post Office was a branch of bank of NSW which closed during war and reverted to one day a week agency in front room until Alf Cashmere bought it and turned into Post Office.  Bank room went to eastern end of hotel building.

Hotel next - pise construction and many owners of leasehold.  Arthur James was in it and owned freehold about 1930's.  He was a good supporter of sport and offered a new bat to anyone scoring a century in semi final or final of cricket comp.  I topped with 86 at about 17 years of age and he gave me the bat and earned my everlasting respect and gratitude.  Joe Langtry was earlier and many more later but you have their names.

Hairdresser, Mrs Hancock, is now in room next to Bank one and doing ok.  Garage was originally a chaff store which Dad used in early 1920's.  John Fox got it and started first motor garage.  His sons Jack and Charlie carried on and eventually sold out and a succession of unsuccessful operators carried on until Jack Jenkins took over and has done ok.

First part of Roberts building was originally a butchers shop but I don't remember that.  Do remember a toy shop there when I was very young.  Next into it think was George Dicks as an agent who sold out to young Bill Ryan (you would possibly remember him as old Bill) who was there till he died.  Stores of course you know and next bit was a cafe and tea rooms which had several occupants during my time;  Sainsburys, Powells and others.  Last bit was Ryan & Langtry agency office.  Bill Ryan died and Phil Langtry continued.  Sold out to Squick McKelvie who operated from his house.  Whole of Roberts building is now of course store.

The old blacksmiths shop was a popular spot for shoeing horses and mending wagons, sulkies etc.  Charlie Glass as long as I remember but understand there were a few before him.  Now pulled down and replaced by a service station.